Blast Furnace
Foehn Revolt |role = Support superweapon |tier = 3 |techlvl = 10 |hp = 1000 |armortype = Big Heavy Structure |sight = 5 |cost = $3000 |time = 2:15 (base 1:48) |multiplier = 1.25 |produced = Foehn Construction Yard |req = * Cyberkernel Expansion * Cloud Piercer Expansion * Nanofiber Loom Expansion |adjacent = 2 |power = -200 |allows = Blast Trench |ability = Blasticade |notes = * Limited to one for each player * Cannot be captured * Can be infiltrated to reset the superweapon's timer |artist = * Nooze (SHP and cameo) * 4SG (SHP) }} The Blast Furnace is the support superweapon of the Foehn Revolt. It serves as the central hub of Blast Trenches to create a barrier of high-pressure steam that will destroy nearly anything who tries to pass through. Official description The Foehn Revolt knows quite a respectable array of methods to use their air manipulation technology. One of the more dangerous ones involves a controlled eruption of incredibly destructive steam which is kept at high pressure in the structure called the Blast Furnace. This building is partially responsible for the burning of the unused material residue that even Foehn's nanomachines can't reprocess. These materials are burned at incredibly high temperatures, resulting in lots of strong steam being produced and condensed at the Blast Furnace. At the right moment, this steam is moved into the Blast Trenches built all around Foehn bases, which then release it up high at great velocity. The windflow manipulation fittings along the Blast Trench make it possible to increase the power and reach of the barrier created in the process. Almost no ground or air unit is capable of crossing an actively erupting Blast Trench, with a few exceptions. The barrier, christiened the "Blasticade", unfortunately has a few drawbacks, the biggest one being it getting shut down the moment a Foehn base goes low on power. If that happens, the Blast Furnace's release mechanism triggers an emergency shut down as without the ability to control the blast's flow it would be too dangerous to move it through the Blast Trenches around the base. The Blast Furnace needs to recharge the Blasticade all anew when that happens.Foehn Structures page on the official Mental Omega website Overview General tips * Superweapons are expensive and power hungry. In some circumstances (such as limited funds) it may be more beneficial to spend credits on other buildings or units. * All players will be notified of the construction and activation of a superweapon via an EVA announcement, and every player can see the countdown of a superweapon. Unlike in Red Alert 2 however, the minimap will not show where a superweapon is located, nor the fog of war will be removed around the superweapon. * Therefore, build a superweapon only when it is safe to do so. Building one in the wrong circumstances (such as insufficient funds or low power) can be costly. * Place superweapons preferably at the back of the base, so enemy units will have to fight through your defenses to reach it. * Surround a superweapon with walls to prevent a timer reset by sneaky spies. * Superweapons do not guarantee victory. Apart from a long cooldown between activations, an experienced enemy player can destroy a superweapon before it is even activated. Counters * Arguably the best counter to a superweapon is to prevent the opposing player from building one in the first place. ** Destroying the enemy's Tier 3 access structure is the most direct option. ** Disrupt the enemy's economy, whether by eliminating ore miners or Tech Oil Derricks. Infiltrating the enemy's Ore Refinery is also another option. Note that this tactic is not effective against A.I. opponents due to their infinite money perk. ** Attentive players can occasionally tell if a superweapon is being constructed if the enemy player hasn't built a structure for a long time. If this is the case, eliminating other important structures may force the opponent to cancel the construction of said superweapon. * Knocking out the power grid and/or the superweapon itself with anti-building capabilities are the most conventional countermeasures, whether in a direct assault or guerilla tactics. Examples include the following: ** The Allies' Barracuda bombers can drop their payload and return to base with few or no casualties. 4 of them can take down a superweapon in a heartbeat. In the case of the Blasticade, these bombers should only be dispatched when the Blasticade is on cooldown. ** If the superweapon is not defended by anti-infantry defenses, Tanya (if playing as United States) or Navy SEALs can plant C4 in the superweapon. The C4 detonation is enough to take it down in little time(1 C4 for Tanya, while 2 for SEAL). *If the opposing base cannot be assaulted without taking significant casualties, delaying the countdown of a superweapon is another option. The methods for doing this are: ** Infiltrating the superweapon directly, resetting the countdown. ** Infiltrating power plants to shut down the entire enemy base. Since this causes most stationary defenses to become disabled, this is an excellent opportunity to eliminate the superweapon threat. Appearances Skirmish * In the Fortress map Yunru's Keep, the defending player starts with two Blast Furnaces and accompanying Blast Trenches, which cannot be rebuilt if destroyed. Trivia * The Blast Furnace is based from the Firestorm Generator in Tiberian Sun and Firestorm. * The Blast Furnace is the only superweapon the AI never builds (along with the Blast Trenches). * The Blast Furnace is also the only superweapon available in Fortress gamemode in certain maps, exclusive to the defender (as mentioned above). See also * Blast Trench * Chronosphere * Iron Curtain Device * Rage Inductor References zh:爆裂熔炉 Category:Foehn Revolt Category:Structures Category:Superweapons